In this video, we explore the Wimshurst machine, an electrostatic device created around 1880 by British inventor James Wimshurst. These machines were used in 19th-century physics research and ...

This electrostatic machine will spark from the round discharge electrodes when the crank is turned steadily. The crank rotates Plexiglas wheels that have small metal discs on them. Redistribution of ...

Got some empty plastic bottles in your recycling bin or cluttering up your desk? Then you’ve got a large portion of the material you need for building your own Wimshurst machine like [Thomas Kim] did.

People from ancient times knew that rubbing certain materials and then touching something caused a spark. Studying what is called electrostatics laid the groundwork for understanding electricity and ...

Scientific American is part of Springer Nature, which owns or has commercial relations with thousands of scientific publications (many of them can be found at www ...

Scientific American is part of Springer Nature, which owns or has commercial relations with thousands of scientific publications (many of them can be found at www ...